In keeping with the holiday, she commits. And, in doing so teaches me a very valuable lesson.

My kids teach me lessons all the time. Sometimes they’re lessons I don’t like very much. One of my sons is almost a mirror of me as a teen, and I can feel the pain (passion and joy) my mother must have experienced. The other teaches me about quiet love and confidence. And my daughter — well yesterday, on Rosh Hashanah – she taught me a lesson that was totally on track with the theme of this holiday.

While I don’t espouse a particular religion in my blog, I enjoy (and often participate) in all holidays. Currently, the Jews are celebrating Rosh Hashanah – The New Year. It’s a time for reflection but more importantly, a time for change. A good friend once told me, “Think of Rosh Hashanah as the stem cells of the year because they can grow and become anything — their potential is infinite.”

My daughter struggled to find her “sport.” Her brothers, naturally athletic, do well at almost any sport they touch. And, while she loved all the sports she tried, the sports didn’t always love her back.

Yesterday, after less than two years in her most recent sport (rowing), she was offered a D-1 scholarship to join the WI Badgers rowing team. My daughter set her sights on something and did it. She believes in the infinite possibilities in her life. She’s got drive like no body’s business (and is nice to boot!)!

Rosh Hashanah reminds us that the past year is now fixed. Done. The bitter and the sweet. But the future — well, the possibilities are limitless.

Are you in a relationship that makes you unhappy? Is work not the right fit? You can change these situations (it might not be easy but most change isn’t!). Want a better relationship with your children or even yourself?

You have the control and ability to make your life/relationships/self whatever you want it to be. Don’t let the past hold you back.

For my daughter, she wanted to row for Madison. And, she stayed focused on her goal. She knew that her past experiences with sports were just the past and anything was possible going forward.

So my question to you (and me): Who do we want to be going forward? What change do we want to have in our lives?

Do we want the year to be full of love and kindness? How about being more kind to ourselves?

Want to show more compassion in life? (Maybe I should have compassion for the guy who cut me off on the freeway yesterday and then showed me his special finger … Not!). Can we have too much compassion? Maybe the change is to find balance — compassion and boundaries?

Could this be the year of connections? For meeting new people and joining new communities?

Think about your upcoming year. You can make changes (and should). And there’s no failure here because you can always try again tomorrow.